Effects of Free-Stream Turbulence and Surface Roughness on Film Cooling

Abstract

A flat plate test section was used to study how high free-stream turbulence with large turbulence length scales, representative of the turbine environment, affect the film cooling adiabatic effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient for a round hole film cooling geometry. This study also examined cooling performance with combined high free-stream turbulence and a rough surface which simulated the roughness representative of an in-service turbine. The injection was from a single row of film cooling holes with injection angle of 30°. The density ratio of the injectant to the mainstream was 2.0 for the adiabatic effectiveness tests, and 1.0 for the heat transfer coefficient tests. Streamwise and lateral distributions of adiabatic effectiveness and heat transfer coefficients were obtained at locations from 2 to 90 hole diameters downstream. At small to moderate momentum flux ratios, which would normally be considered optimum blowing conditions, high free-stream turbulence dramatically decreased adiabatic effectiveness. However, at large momentum flux ratios, conditions for which the film cooling jet would normally be detached, high free-stream turbulence caused an increase in adiabatic effectiveness. The combination of high free-stream turbulence with surface roughness resulted in an increase in adiabatic effectiveness relative to the smooth wall with high free-stream turbulence. Heat transfer rates were relatively unaffected by a film cooling injection. The key result from this study was a substantial increase in the momentum flux ratios for maximum film cooling performance which occurred for high free-stream turbulence and surface roughness conditions which are more representative of actual turbine conditions.